American Team Riding High

July 26, 1999|By SHARON ROBB Staff Writer

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victory was all the inspiration the U.S. men's and women's teams needed on the first day of cycling at the XIII Pan American Games at Bird's Hill Provincial Park.

The Americans overcame blustery weather conditions to win gold, silver and bronze in the individual time trial.

Elizabeth Emery of Albuquerque, N.M., who didn't take up cycling until age 27, topped a field of 10 women that included hometown favorite Clara Hughes to win the gold medal in 37 minutes and 39.84 seconds. Emery had a 19.92-second cushion over reigning national road race champion Lynn Bessette of Canada and 55.23-second edge on U.S. teammate Mari Holden of Colorado Springs, Colo., a four-time national time trial champion.

"It's a great year for U.S. cycling," Holden said after her Pan Am debut. "What a great position to be in before the world championships and Olympics."

Reigning national champion Levi Leipheimer, 25, of Windsor, Calif., took silver in the men's 18-rider field, just 31.34 seconds behind gold medalist Eric Wohlberg, the two-time defending Canadian national champion. Wohlberg won in 1:07:30.91 for 34.5 miles. Brazil's Mario May edged Dylan Casey of Mountain View, Calif., for the bronze medal, 1:09:38-1:10:45. The 17.4-mile mostly flat course marked the longest time trial in which Leipheimer and Casey, coming off a three-week hiatus, had competed.

"This brings cycling to a place where a lot of people will become really interested in it," said Casey, Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service teammate. "That's what's interesting about cycling is the romance and the drama behind what it takes to be a champion, and Lance has really brought that to the forefront."

The U.S. team was getting daily reports on Armstrong's progress while training for the Games' six-day cycling competition.

"It brings a great feeling and a great chemistry to me and the whole team," Casey said. "It definitely has brought the whole team up a level. The way the U.S. Postal team rode in Europe has really impressed the world. The team and cycling has reached a new level. It's like a disease on the team -- it spreads, in a good way. It trickles down. I could tell at training camp there is just such an incredible chemistry between all the riders."

Both road and track cycling, rife with drug scandals the past few years, are expected to enjoy a resurgence headed into the Olympic year. USA Cycling, the sport's national governing body, hopes to take advantage of the excitement much like Women's World Cup soccer to attract more youngsters to the sport.

"It has been such a great day for U.S. Cycling," Emery said. "If this doesn't attract some attention to get more people out for our sport, nothing will. This is so awesome. Nike is putting commercials with him on television, it's not just basketball players anymore. People are getting to see that cycling is a sport they can do and they can race."

Emery started riding a three-speed bike with a front basket to work in New York.

"I had tons of great mentors who made me realize I could ride a bike," Emery said.

Except for two years of high school soccer, she progressed from little athletic background to 2000 Olympic hopeful. Emery's victory qualified her for the world championships Oct. 4-10 in Italy.